Whenever I’m at a BBQ restaurant, sausage is always one of my favorite dishes they sell. Problem is that a few years into smoking my own meat, I have never tried smoking sausage. Main issue is that I see all the sausages in the store, and really don’t know which one to buy.
Which store bought sausages do y’all typically smoke?
Fresh, house made sausages of all types are widely available here via the local butcher shops. Brats in many variants, Italians, and Polish are the dominant varieties. I smoke them all. Each shop has their own unique recipes so it’s almost a never ending variety of choice. Yum.
John "JR"
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I like just about any sausage smoked. Heck - a week or two back I smoked some bratwurst along side some pastrami that was on the kamado, and after about 2 hours in the smoke, that bratwurst was somewhat dried out and smoked, and was insanely delicious. I sliced it up as an appetizer while we were waiting on the Thanksgiving turkey. Nothing like a grilled brat at all - just pure smoked sausage.
Another type I like to smoke is a brand I buy around here called Conecuh, but it's made in Alabama and likely not available where you are.
I think you will enjoy just about any form of sausage if you smoke it, versus grilled or pan fried or sautéed.
I’d like to know this also. I’ve hade some great sausage at BBQ places but can’t find great stuff to smoke at home. I’ve gotten some from local butchers but it’s not quite the same texture I’m looking for.
The best stuff I’ve had has a texture in between the smoother texture of a kielbasa like the ones from Hillshire Farms and the coarser texture of Brats like the ones from Johnsonville. Anyone know of a national brand like this?
For brats, I like Johnsonville, especially their spicy version. The best sausage I’ve had comes from a meat market here in Houston, B & W Meat Market. Most of the store bought national brand sausages I’ve found to be mediocre, to just ok. I’d suggest finding a small local meat market in your area with good reviews. Maybe sample a couple of places and see which you like best. For best results, smoke em off the heat and never over the coals. The casing on sausage just doesn’t taste good to me if it’s burnt.
Last edited by Panhead John; December 5, 2023, 02:43 PM.
I agree that most pedestrian sausages are just that, pedestrian. Most have to live by the shelf life rules; i.e. chemicals, overly abundant nitrates/nitrites and higher than desirable amounts of fat and salt. Try to find a meat purveyor or local butcher shop that specializes in selling them fresh. Most sausages freeze well so buy a bunch and use them when needed.
I realize not everyone lives in a big city or has places like Central Market here in Texas, but try a variety of sausages that look and sound good. I would have never thought half the stuff they put in sausage tasted as good as it does !! Good luck in your sausage journey !!
Up here in NY, I don't get the good hot links or other typical bbq sausages so I tend to smoke hot italian sausages and fresh bratwurst the most.
They key is to make sure they are fresh sausages (e.g., not pre-cooked) and to get the best quality you can. Meaning if possible butcher shops or italian/german markets or seeing which stores have store/house made sausages as those tend to be much better than the name brand stuff in the meat case
Brats and Polish are probably the two most common. Kielbasa is smoked Polish. To my taste, I can't really see smoked Italian, but I'd be willing to be proven wrong. Smoke ring bologna is also good.
While we're on the subject, I've wanted to smoke sausage but I'm not sure how to track the temperature of the meat. If you stick a probe in, the juice runs out. What do you all do?
I never use a thermometer for any of my sausage grilling/smoking. I just go by time and how the sausage looks. Usually after 30-45 minutes on the grill [off the heat] it’s done. A lot of sausages will eventually split their casing and spit out some juices, another
indicater that it’s done, for me anyway. Sometimes I’ll cook them using my vortex, just like you would for chicken wings.
EDIT: My times above are for hot smoking on the grill. For low and slow smoking it would take longer of course.
Last edited by Panhead John; December 5, 2023, 04:17 PM.
Starsky - I put a probe in my sausage whenever I smoke them. Never had an issue with juice running out. Maybe the casing shrinks tight around the probe. Don’t know. But again, never had an issue with juice coming out.
fzxdoc I always smoke any sausage I buy, whether it says smoked or not. In my experience, even sausage I’ve bought that says smoked, it’s usually a pretty faint smoke flavor, if any at all. And since most of it I smoke only 30-45 minutes anyway, I’m in no danger of it being too smoky…….
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My favorite sausages come from Fresh Market. In particular, I like their andouille, hot Italian, chorizo and bangers.
I prefer Fresh Market sausages because they are tightly packed and are not mealy when they are smoked. I also like any of Johnsonville sausages for smoking
I hang them in a sausage rack in my PBC. I always hang 1 or 2 racks whenever I smoke chicken. I poke the lowermost sausage so the fat dripping on the fire will help season the bird as it smokes. At 350°, a sausage will smoke to 180°ish in 35-40 minutes. Some people like smoking sausage to 165°, but I like taking them to 180°ish because I like the snap of the skin at that temp.
I check them with a Thermapen, but I really don't have to, I've got cooking them in the PBC down to a science. If I do poke them at close to done, they seldom if ever squirt out a bunch of fat. Another reason to love Fresh Market and Johnsonville sausages.
Here's a topic I started about Sausage Hangers for the PBC
Someone just asked me about the sausage hanger that I use for the PBC. I wrote up a topic about it back in 2014 but now the link doesn't work, so I'm writing an update.
I bought a generic sausage hanger and cut off the handle so it could hang in the PBC. I hook it with a PBC hook so I don't have to slide it on/off the rebar.
Thank you everyone! I have two meat markets, Peoria Packing and Park Packing that make their own sausages! I have only ever grilled or pan cooked polish sausage. I will start experimenting with them! fzxdoc, your method of smoking them with chicken is a great idea as I have room on my OJB in the same way you have room in you PBC to add sausage.
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There ( fzxdoc ) is a fantastic and easy andouille recipe on this very site. Simple and a great base for modifications. I assure you it's good. Ask klflowers
I agree with starting with what is available at your local butcher. For flavors, just go with what sounds good to you and try 3 or 4 of each flavor. The freshness makes a difference.
The Fresh Market is a good suggestion but I know you don’t have any close by.
I have not been super impressed with the Johnsonville brand but it is not bad. I do like the generic brats (20 pack) I think from Costco.
Of course, the most fun alternative is to buy your own grinder and grind your own flavors. LEM and Meat Your Maker have good grinders and Amazon sometimes has sales. I got my LEM off Amazon for $60. You can also check Facebook or craiglist for used commercial grinders that are dirt cheap.
Last edited by STEbbq; December 5, 2023, 05:33 PM.
I’m definitely toying with the idea of making my own. I have the plastic KA grinder that I got to save myself from throwing away brisket trimmings. Big question will be how to stuff the casings which I just need to research.
Sausage Recommendations Wanted
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